


hearts of kyber

by inquisitor_tohru



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Chickens, Cooking, F/M, Fluff, Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Holidays, Life Day (Star Wars), Lightsabers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27962630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru
Summary: While Finn was levitating baubles, Rey was busy wrestling with a tangled string of lights.
Relationships: Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey
Comments: 14
Kudos: 22
Collections: Mistletoe Exchange 2020





	hearts of kyber

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sultrybutdamaged](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sultrybutdamaged/gifts).



While Finn was levitating baubles, Rey was busy wrestling with a tangled string of lights they'd acquired from one of the electronics stores back on Mandalore. They'd been a lucky find, so she wasn't exactly going to complain too much about having to tease out the twists and knots. Besides, it wasn't _that_ different to working down in the _Falcon's_ guts with Rose and a jumble of cables that frequently baffled most of the Resistance's engineers. As she threaded the wire through its own loop, she was tempted to give one of the baubles a small, playful nudge with the Force to see how Finn would handle that kind of disruption.

"I know they're not quite rocks," he said, catching her eye, "but this is still pretty cool."

 _"Very_ cool, actually." Finn smiled, radiating warmth and pride in equal measures. While the basic principle was the same, lifting baubles took finesse, as opposed to the less refined energy required to lift rocks. She and Finn often took different routes when it came to their mastery of the Force, but in the end they always found themselves on the same page.

"So...we're going to bring one of the saplings _onboard,_ but without Chewie noticing." Rey shrugged.

"They're small, and the _Falcon's_ big. Besides," she grinned, "he won't look in my quarters." The triangular trees that formed the vast green forests of Krownest were topped with snow, and sheltering beneath their branches for any length of time pretty much guaranteed you a faceful of freezing slush. But the saplings they'd found were around Rey's own height, and much more manageable.

"Right, makes sense." Finn caught a red bauble between his fingers as it swerved, his concentration beginning to wane.

"And Poe's still bringing the tip-yip, right?"

"About that," Finn said, plucking the other bauble from the air, "he said there weren't any tip-yip farmers at the market, _but_ he did manage to get a cuckoo hen." Rey frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah, okay, I'm sure that'll be fine." It wouldn't be Endorian roasted _tip-yip_ without the tip-yip, but they'd still have roasted chicken and root vegetables with pumpkin seeds. She doubted anyone would get too caught up on that.

"There's something else," Finn said, his tone a little _too_ casual for Rey's liking, "don't look at me like that, it's really not a big deal."

"Not like you," she smirked, because like _hell_ she was ever going to let him live that one down. Even if he _was_ kind of a big deal now. "Go on. Tell me." She braced herself as she untwisted the last section of the wire she was working on, wondering why their pilot-in-distress needed rescuing this time. 

"Poe's _fine,"_ he said, "he and BB-8 are on their way back. It's just, well, the thing is...the market only had livestock." Rey sighed, not quite able to decide whether she was more relieved or exasperated. Poe and BB-8 weren't in trouble, which was definitely good. The thing about the chicken was decidedly _less good._

"Sure. It'll be fine. I've prepared poultry before." She tried not to delve too deeply into her memories of plucking rusty, oily feathers from the steelpecker carcass she'd come upon in her teens, and there really wasn't any reason to mention that the bird had been completely inedible. "It'll be _fine,"_ she repeated.

  
  


Finn had privately shared Rey's reservations about the cuckoo hen, but he also hadn't wanted to appear ungrateful when Poe had gone to all the trouble of finding one at such short notice. Granted, that had been _before_ he'd tried wrapping gifts in the presence of the hen in question, who was very intent on pecking at _everything._

"No," he told her again, pointing a stern finger in her direction, "not your presents." It was hard to ignore her big, sad eyes, so he just reminded himself that chickens' eyes were bigger than their brains. They couldn't possibly have room for complex emotions in there. So, _no,_ he was definitely not going to be feeling bad for the unruly cuckoo hen.

Okay, maybe he felt a _bit_ sorry for her.

Finn stopped when he heard footsteps too heavy to be Rey or Poe's, thankful that he wasn't in the middle of wrapping anything breakable, and was able to just toss it back into the burlap sack they'd been hiding everything in. Then he ushered the cuckoo hen in, hoping she was one of those birds that gets sleepy in the dark.

"Hey, Chewie!" He leaned forward with his elbows on the workbench as the Wookiee returned his greeting with something that was almost a purr. The prospect of returning to Kashyyyk to be with his family had already put Chewbacca in a good mood, and hopefully the surprise Finn had planned with Rey and Poe would, too. Finn opened his mouth to say something else, but promptly forgot what that something else had been when a noise that was more of a squawk than a cluck erupted from the sack.

Chewbacca glanced around, then simply shrugged and picked up his bowcaster from the other end of the workbench, reminding Finn that Rey had been working on upgrading it that morning - with Chewie's blessing, of course. That was to be _her_ Life Day gift to him. Finn's gifts to him were the new parts from one of the salvaged First Order stormtrooper blasters, all of which were compatible with the standard Imperial stormtrooper blaster frame and power pack that Chewie had incorporated into his own unique design. All in all, that bowcaster was already a seriously impressive bit of kit, and it just got even _more_ impressive.

"You almost blew our cover," he muttered to the wriggling sack, inwardly chastising himself for talking to a damn _chicken._ He loosened the top of the sack to let her out again to stretch her wings. "What _are_ we going to do with you, your _Eggs_ ellency?" Might as well give her a name, or at least a title or form of address. Because he could already tell that they sure as hell weren't going to be cooking chicken for Life Day.

They'd figure something out. He still needed to figure out what to get Rey, too, after discounting Poe's recommendation of _premium_ loose leaf tarine tea. For some reason he just had a bad feeling about it, and he wasn't all that sure whether Rey _liked_ tarine tea - he'd certainly never seen her drink it. As he started wrapping the hair products Poe had carefully chosen for Chewie, he thought about the bowcaster again, wondering if he could find something that Rey could use to upgrade her own weapon. He was fairly confident he could find something that would _fit,_ but the thing was...lightsabers were just so _personal._ Constructing his own had been a time-consuming exercise, testing not only his skill, but his patience. It had been worth it though, to see that burst of white light. Just like it was worth agonising over the perfect gift to see Rey's smile.

Unwilling to part with the remains of something that kept her safe for so long, Rey had tucked away the leftover materials from her quarterstaff in a brown satchel, leaving it to gather dust beneath her bunk. But now, with renewed purpose, she tugged on the strap to slide it out, brushing away the dust with the palm of her hand before unfastening the buckles with a click.

She ran her fingers over each of the pieces she'd saved, feeling the memories of wholeness that clung to them like ghosts. Her hand stilled when she found what she'd come for. The smooth alloy rings that had rested beneath the cloth handgrip hadn't been much to look at, but they'd been an integral part of the design, as she'd soon learned when she began tinkering with the salvaged quarterstaff - they were only little things, and yet without them, the entire structure was weaker, more liable to fall apart.

She slipped one into her pocket before returning the satchel to its place.

Disassembling his lightsaber was hard. Using the Force to slice his kyber crystal was harder. It was already small to begin with, and the act required the kind of precision that wasn't possible with tools alone. (Or with her Eggsellency pecking around his heels, but BB-8 was busy entertaining the cuckoo hen, or perhaps it was the other way around.)

Finn had never been great with meditation, and Rey was the first to say she wasn't the greatest role model in that respect, that there was little she could share with him. It wasn't strictly _true,_ but he understood what she meant. Both of them were more grounded in physicality than the Jedi of old had been, too anchored to the material world.

And, for this particular task, that was a blessing.

He was aware of the pleasant _thrum_ in the Force, of the subtle vibrations signifying the unique connection he had to his crystal. But he was able to focus on its natural composition, manipulating the structure just enough to peel a wafer-thin slice from one of its jagged white edges. Finn knew he'd have to compensate for his crystal's lesser mass when he reconstructed his lightsaber, but he'd _use the Force,_ and he'd work it out.

But first, he'd get some sleep.

  
  


"Y'know, I think BB-8 might be getting jealous of her Eggsellency." Rey laughed as the little droid beeped in protest from the next room.

"You _named_ the chicken. You named the chicken _her Eggsellency."_ Finn shrugged, busying himself with peeling the sweet potatoes that ought to have been accompanying the tip-yip they didn't have. Or the cuckoo chicken they did.

"It _suits_ her."

"I hope Chewie won't be disappointed," she said, lifting the lid from one of the pans to check on the simmering pumpkin seeds, "I know how much he likes poultry." She thought back on the porgs on Ahch-To, with somewhat mixed feelings. Rey hadn't really been particularly interested in spending the morning shelling pumpkin seeds, but she'd wanted to keep Finn company in the kitchen, or what passed for one on the _Falcon,_ while he prepared the vegetables for the Life Day feast.

"I happen to know he _really_ likes these, too," Finn said, holding up one of the freshly peeled sweet potatoes to reveal the warm orange flesh that had hidden beneath its earthy skin. She was looking forward to trying them, too, having made it her mission to eat as many non-beige foods as she could since leaving Jakku and Unkar and his crappy rations behind.

Plus, Finn was a pretty great cook, truly in his element when he worked with ingredients from all across the galaxy, both of them revelling in scents, tastes, and textures that they'd never had occasion to experience on cold desert nights, or in the cool, polished interior of a star destroyer. There was a certain kind of intimacy to preparing a meal together, or cooking for one another, that Rey had never really had time to consider before the end of the war - easy silences filled only with the rustling of vegetables in paper bags, the grinding of herbs and spices, and the steady ebb and flow of the Force. So much of cooking was about intimacy, about _connection,_ that it made a task as dull as shelling pumpkin seeds feel worthwhile. _Especially_ when it was with Finn, she thought, suddenly very aware of the weight of the ring in her pocket.

"I'm really glad that you're...the one making the cranberry sauce." Apparently the chicken wasn't the _only_ thing she was chickening out of today. "I mean, Poe just makes it _way_ too sweet."

"Right?" Finn said, apparently exceedingly glad that someone else had noticed. "Everything _has_ to be doused with honey or sugar when he's cooking. I've heard of having a sweet tooth, but man…aside from tarine tea, _everything's_ a dessert for that guy."

"Yeah, you know, I actually think he just likes the smell of it? I've never seen him drink it." The only person Rey had _ever_ seen drink it was Hux, the one time she'd run into him in the medbay on the _Tantive IV_ back on Ajan Kloss, which seemed kind of fitting. She'd often had tea with Leia, sometimes with Rose and Kaydel joining them, but never anything quite so bitter. Leia had enjoyed teas with a hint of smokiness, while Rose favoured citrus undertones, and then Kaydel generally just preferred caf to tea.

"That or he just dumps a massive spoonful of honey in it," Finn laughed, and Rey's chest ached, because there was nothing better than hearing that laugh.

"I wouldn't put that past him, to be honest. He's a great guy, but really, he has absolutely-"

"-no taste?" Now it was Rey's turn to snigger, though he quickly joined in, their laughter mingling in the Force like two parts of the same song.

  
  


Finn had very nearly yelped when Chewie's strong arms wrapped around him, and the wookiee actually ended up lifting him off the ground. Finn's Shyriiwook still wasn't _great,_ but the hug and the look on Chewie's face told him everything he needed to know. Even her Eggsellency was rewarded with a (considerably more gentle) embrace. Finn, Rey, Poe, and BB-8 exchanged gifts while gathered around the sapling, surrounded by warm twinkling lights and the earthy aroma of the Endoran roasted vegetables, the toasted pumpkin seeds, tart cranberry sauce and a chestnut and mushroom nut roast.

Finn grinned as he tore the wrapping paper away from Poe's gift to him, revealing a _Kade Genti_ omnibus - something of a shared joke between them since that auction on Coruscant.

"That should have most of the issues you're missing."

"Thanks, man." He went to squeeze Poe's shoulder, but found himself in yet another hug before they were interrupted by BB-8's excited beeps and trills upon discovering the Droid Spa vouchers they'd all chipped in on for him.

"Anytime, buddy." BB-8 rolled around the three of them, almost nuzzling against their legs before going to offer Chewie the same treatment. Whoever thought droids couldn't be affectionate had clearly never met this astromech. He might not be able to feel BB-8 through the Force but, as far as Finn was concerned, he was as alive as the rest of them.

Finally released from her embrace, her Eggsellency strutted over, head bobbing, no doubt looking around for stray pumpkin seeds. Finn laughed and shook his head as he noticed BB-8 switch on his flashlight to guide her towards a couple that had fallen on the floor. Just as he was about to retrieve the small box containing Rey's gift, she started fumbling around for something in her own pocket.

"So, um, I didn't get a chance to wrap it, but I got you a little something." Finn recognised it as soon as she dropped it on the table, as if she was afraid she'd change her mind if she held onto it for a moment longer. He'd first laid eyes upon the alloy ring when they began constructing their own lightsabers together, before Rey went to Tatooine, but as he reached out to touch it, he felt the echoes of their very first meeting on Jakku, and of the way she'd looked at him like no one ever had.

"Rey, I...I don't know what to say." So he took out the box, quite literally putting everything _on the table._ He was almost taken aback when he heard Poe gasp - somehow, just for a moment, he'd forgotten that anyone else was there. "I guess I didn't get chance to wrap this either."

Rey felt her cheeks grow hot as she looked upon the little wooden box set down before her. Finn had even carved two intricately detailed lightsaber hilts onto its lid, one of the skills Archex - or Captain Cardinal, as Finn had first known him - had taught him that wasn't exactly part of the stormtrooper program. The warmth emanating from that box guided her hands to open it and, when she did, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. In a good way, the _best_ way.

"I noticed your crystal chamber had room for a focusing crystal," Finn said, trying (and failing) to sound nonchalant. He couldn't help but sound earnest. It was one of the things Rey loved about him.

The thin sliver of milky white kyber was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined, and the fact that Finn had essentially offered a piece of himself was not lost on her.

"It does," she said, dabbing at her eye with a clean napkin, "and I figured the ring would serve as a belt hook, or...well, whatever you want it to be really."

"A keyring?" Poe suggested with a wink, no doubt to remind them that he was still there. "Anyway, before you two get all caught up in your _Jedi stuff,_ Beebee and I got you two something else as well." Rey frowned as BB-8 trundled over, revealing what looked to be a bundle of herbs with red and white berries. When Chewie roared in cheerful explanation, she felt her cheeks grow red enough that they surely matched the berries.

"Oh, hang on." Poe paused to take a small sprig for himself. "I'd, um, like to put that aside with that tarine tea shipment for Ajan Kloss. You know, make it more festive." BB-8 warbled something that sounded, amazingly, like an eye roll. Thankfully, he merely placed the rest on the table, and Rey snatched it up before Poe got any silly notions about what to do with it.

"Hey, I barely got to see it!"

"I'll show you later," she promised, "it's just Poe being weird." Finn grinned.

"Nothing new there."

"Hey!"

"Don't you have an important 'shipment' to make before Life Day, anyway?" Rey teased, prompting a booming laugh from Chewie, startling the poor cuckoo hen. It might be another day until it was _actually_ Life Day, and she was looking forward to seeing Rose and Kaydel when everybody was back on the base again. But for right now, she had everything, every _one_ she needed right there with her on the _Falcon._

"Right, so," Finn began, once it was only him and Rey in what was, in his opinion, rather _generously_ referred to as the _Falcon's_ dining area. The delicate strings of light and the tastefully decorated sapling _did_ make it look kind of pretty, though. "What was it Poe gave us?" He chuckled softly. "Was it another jab at my cooking?"

"What? No, don't worry." She sighed before reaching back under the table to present what looked like...mistletoe. Of course it was. Because that really was a very _Poe_ thing to do.

"Ah. Yeah...I, um, read a bit about that when I was researching trees."

"And the...tradition?" Rey said, slowly and carefully, as if saying it outright would break the spell.

"Traditions _are_ pretty important. Not that they're, you know, set in stone or anything. Except when they are? I mean, that temple last week-" He stopped when he noticed Rey dangling the mistletoe between them, up high. A question, or an invitation.

"Wouldn't want to forgo tradition," she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper in the Force. Perhaps it had been. "Not if _you_ think it's important." He toyed with the ring from her quarterstaff, one of the few happy remnants of her old life.

"I do." He wasn't all that sure that they were talking about Life Day traditions any more, but it didn't really matter. For now, he was more than happy to enjoy Rey's company without saying anything at all, with the weight of her ring in his palm, his hand caressing her warm cheek, and her chapped lips pressed against his.


End file.
